Kogi state Commissioner for Budget and Planning, Honourable Alih Ajuh has commended the passion and determination of the Governor of Kogi State, Captain Idris Wada for winning the heart of the World Bank and ensuring that Kogi State joins the league of States in Nigeria implementing Youth Employment and Social Support Operation [YESSO].
Hon Ajuh spoke when he played host to Kogi state coordinator of the Programme, Mr. Noah Alilu in his office recently.
He emphasized that the Kogi State Government vision for human capital development and youth development in particular is anchored on the collective desire to see the State emerge as a model of good governance and transformed into one of the top ranking states in the country in terms of rapid and sustainable socio-economic development.
According to Ajuh, the Governor’s desire to collaborate with the World Bank is aimed at harmonizing the various concept and operational framework so as to enhance the state’s performance in the implementation of youth related programmes and to check mate previous flaws and risk not undermining the state peculiarities and the World Bank portfolio arrangement.
“Kogi State is quite appreciative of the Federal Government and the World Bank’s timely support of this initiative, which is in line with Transformation Agenda of the State Government designed to
engage the youth and women positively for employment generation and wealth creation, stem rural –urban migration to reduce pressure on social amenities in the urban areas and encourage human capital development in the rural areas where the highest percentage of citizenry resides”, he said.
“It is our earnest desire that all the operators of Youth Employment and Social Support Operation (YESSO) and other notable stakeholders in Kogi State to sincerely work within the provision of the Operation Manual (OM), the Project Appraisal Document (PAD) and Approved Annual Budget Work Plan that contains and provides guidelines and other operational procedures relating to the Planning, Budgeting, Monitoring and Evaluation, Procurement, Financial Management, Accounting and Disbursement including reporting modalities as well as the hallmarks of any sustainable intervention.
Earlier in his speech, the Kogi State YESSO Coordinator, Mr Alilu Noah, commended the Governor of Kogi State for his dogged determination to enthrone the culture of discipline and efficiency by ensuring that the State pass through all the ‘tight-rope’ criteria.
The Coordinator emphasised on the Governor’s desire for the take off YESSO as he personally visited the World Bank on several occasions which has demonstrated his passion human capital development of the State.
Mr Alilu in brief disclosed that, Kogi State was granted effectiveness by the World Bank to two components of the YESSO Scheme namely the Skill For Job (S4J) and the Public workfare (PWF).
He explained that S4J involves pilot of a new approach to skills training to increase the effectiveness of the government’s efforts to combat unemployment, especially among the youth. The approach emphasizes demand-driven skills training (designed to enable trainees to make the most of actual opportunities in local labour markets, institutional capacity building, and public-private sector partnerships.
This component focuses on partnerships between the public and private sectors to enhance the employ-ability of youths from poor households. It will involve developing skills training (made up of some of all of three components: life skills, vocational/sector-specific skills, and entrepreneurship skills), providing internships and apprenticeships with private sector organizations.
Beneficiaries will be tracked through tracer studies coupled with monitoring and evaluation of the implementation of the component. This component is expected to result in trained young people finding sustainable job evidenced by increase earning in either wage employment or self-employment in the private sector -especially in the informal sector. The preparatory stage of this component requires joint action between the NDE, State Government and the organized private sector umbrella body.
On the other hand the public workfare programme (PWF) component is aimed at supporting the state government to provide immediate labour intensive work opportunities for unskilled youths from poor households. This component is not only to enhance the capacity of participating unemployed young people but also create and improve basic social and economic infrastructure in the community.
In doing so, it will also increase the income and consumption of young participants and their households, increase effective demand in local markets, and increase household asset ownership, savings, and investments. This is for unemployed youths (male and female) between the ages of 18 and 35 selected from the single register of beneficiaries (SRB) for Public workfare across the three senatorial district of the Kogi state.
He concluded that, the third component called Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) which is to implemented by three ministries in the State – Ministry of Health, Ministry of Education and Ministry for Women Affairs and Social Development is being articulated for presentation to the bank for approval. He however assured the Honouable Commissioner that the Official of YESSO shall strive to live up expectation of the Government adding that the passion of the Governor has been their driving force.
